Has Josh and Anna Duggar’s Marriage Fully Recovered From All of His Scandals?

Josh and Anna Duggar were married in 2008. Since then, the couple has had a rollercoaster of a relationship. Their biggest lows came from Josh’s sexual abuse scandal back in the early 2000s — it was made public in 2015, and it was the first time Anna had ever heard about it. Additionally, Josh confessed to having a pornography addiction and to cheating on his wife. With so much happening at the same time, the couple’s relationship was put to the test. Now, Anna is pregnant with the couple’s sixth child — but has their marriage truly recovered from all of the scandals?

Josh and Anna Duggar | Kris Connor/Getty Images

Josh’s sexual abuse scandal was made public four years ago

In 2015, the Duggar family was in the midst of reality television fame. That was, until a massive story broke about Josh, the oldest Duggar son, and his sexual abuse scandal from the early 2000s. According to USA Today, the scandal occurred back in 2002, when Josh admitted to his parents that he had inappropriately touched several people while they slept in his family’s home. The Duggars attempted to get Josh help, but they never publicized the scandal and essentially swept it under the rug. However, it came back to haunt the family in 2015 and was the reason TLC canceled their original show, 19 Kids and Counting. The 2015 news affected Anna greatly.

The reality television star also confessed to cheating on his wife

Around the same time the sex scandal broke, news also broke that Josh had created an Ashley Madison account purposely to cheat on Anna. He admitted to being unfaithful to her and said he also had a pornography addiction. Josh had two different Ashley Madison accounts and paid more than $900 while using the site; he also paid to have a “guaranteed affair,” according to reports. Josh released a statement admitting that he had been unfaithful to his wife and calling himself a hypocrite. The scandals tarnished his reputation, likely forever, and he is no longer affiliated with the family in terms of their reality show. (TLC currently airs a reality show highlighting the other Duggar kids called Counting On.)

For the next two years, the couple worked hard to rebuild their marriage

The couple had been married for nearly seven years when the stories surfaced that would change their marriage forever. Despite everything that had happened, the couple vowed to work on their marriage rather than get divorced, and they spent the next two years doing so. In 2017, the two announced a fifth pregnancy. “For nearly the last two years, we have quietly worked to save our marriage, focus on our children, and rebuild our lives together as a family,” the two wrote on their website. “Beauty comes from ashes and we cannot wait to see and kiss the face of this sweet new boy!” The couple has since welcomed their fifth child and now have a sixth on the way.

The Duggar family doesn’t believe in divorce, so it’s a bit of a mystery how Anna really feels

While it appears that Josh and Anna’s marriage has made a full 180 since the scandal broke, there is something to consider about the couple: They don’t believe in divorce. Both Josh and Anna come from very religious backgrounds and feel that marriage is a sacred agreement between two people who vow to work to build their relationship until death. With that said, although they seem happy, it’s unclear what Anna really thinks of her husband. It’s possible she’s simply continuing life with him because she feels that is what God wants.

The same goes for Josh — he must have stepped out on her for a reason, but in God’s eyes, he must remain with her for life. It’s hard to tell how happy the two truly are, but we can only hope they’re raising their children in a healthy environment and have rediscovered the love they once had for one another.